City centre

The Hermitage is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world and it occupies five historical buildings which include the Winter Palace - the former residence of Russian Tzars. The buildings themselves, built by the best Italian and Russian masters of the XVIII - XIX centuries, are architectural masterpieces. Catherine the Second began the Hermitage collections by buying a collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings in Berlin, and for a long time only Catherine the Great and, as she used to joke "her mice" and a small circle of courtiers, could admire these treasures. Nowadays, there are over three million items in the Hermitage collection. Magnificent works of art embracing prehistoric culture, Egyptian art, the art of Antiquity, Scythian gold and great collections of Western- European paintings and sculptures are displayed in the 400 halls of the museum.

The Menshikov Palace is a former residence of Count Menshikov, the first general governor of St. Petersburg. It was the city's first stone building where all official state receptions and balls were held. It is now a Hermitage Department of Russian Culture of Peter the Great's epoch.

The Russian Museum houses the world's largest collection of Russian art, from ancient icons to the Avant-garde school of painting of the XX century. The museum was opened in 1898 by Nicolas II in what was then the Mikhailovsky Palace and contains nearly 400 000 exhibits.
Three other departments of the Russian State Museum are also well worth a visit:
The Marble Palace - a gift from Catherine the Great to her favourite Grigory Orlov, the Mikhailovsky Castle - the residence of Paul I and later the educational establishment where Fedor Dostoevsky studied, and the Stroganov Palace which belonged to one of the richest people in Russia, the inventor of the famous Russian dish "Beef Stroganoff".

The Peter and Paul Fortress was founded on 27 May 1703, the date considered to be the birthday of St. Petersburg. Constructed for purposes of defence, the fortress used to be a political prison where Peter the Great's son, Prince Alexei, Lenin's brother, Alexander Ulianov and many grand dukes after the revolution were confined. The Peter and Paul Cathedral is the resting place of the Romanovs, and it is here that all the Russian Tzars from Peter I to Nicolas II and his family are buried. While you are there, you can walk along the walls of the fortress, see the "grandfather of the Russian fleet"- a copy of a boat which belonged to Peter the Great, learn the history of the Mint which still works today, and set your watch by the traditional noon firing of the gun.

This is the main cathedral of the former capital of the Russian Empire and was erected in the XIX century by the French architect August Montferrand. It took 44 years to build and was the architect's life work, Montferrand dying just one month after its completion. St. Isaac's cathedral is decorated with 112 granite monolithic columns, the heaviest of which weigh 114 tons each, and boasts 400 reliefs and bronze sculptures. The cathedral can hold up to ten thousand people. The unique interior of the cathedral is decorated with malachite and is a masterpiece of semi-precious stonework. From the colonnade of St. Isaac's cathedral you can get a fascinating panoramic view of St. Petersburg.

Often described as a "temple of art", the Yussupov Palace enchants and delights everyone who crosses it's threshold. It is an old mansion which belonged to the Yussupovs, dukes who's family history can be traced back to the princes of the Hogay Horde. The dukes were famous for their immense riches and love of the arts. Construction of the palace was started in 1760's by the architect J.B. Vallin de la Monthe. Later, the inspiration and imagination of other outstanding architects created a unique ensemble of interiors, remarkable for their variety of ornamentation and architectural styles. An atmosphere of mystery and illusion can be felt in this palace, where images of the past remind us of its aristocratic owners, the lavish celebrations and balls that were held there. Grigory Rasputin was killed here in December 1916 by Duke Felix Yussupov.

In the sixteenth century, the famous French astrologer Nostradamus predicted that a new Venice would arise on the shores of the northern seas. The beauty of the rivers and canals of the Venice of the North, Saint Petersburg, has indeed become a rival to that southern gem of European culture.

St. Petersburg is situated on the banks of the river Neva, which flows from Lake Ladoga into the Gulf of Finland, splitting into several arms and forming the various islands of the city. St. Petersburg was once called the city of a hundred islands. Nowadays there are slightly fewer, but the facades of old palaces and mansions are still reflected in the water of numerous rivers and canals, creating an amazing and mysterious view of the city which is impossible to see from the land. Taking a boat-trip along the river Neva out to the Gulf of Finland, or sailing along smaller rivers and canals, you will be able to some of St. Petersburg's most beautiful bridges. These include the Trinity Bridge built by the same company as the Pont d'Alexandre III across the Seine, the Anichkov Bridge with it's famous equestrian statues together with the ancient sphinxes of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and a collection of Chinese mythological creatures, placed there to guard boats from the perils of the shores.

St. Petersburg is the city of Tsars and their palaces. Grand dukes, courtiers and aristocrats invited the best architects to built their homes here, in the capital of the Russian Empire. Richly decorated baroque facades, formal neo-classical buildings, cosy art - nouveau mansions and majestic palaces in the style of Italian palazzos are all well-preserved and full of reminders of St. Petersburg's turbulent past.

The Sheremetev Palace stands on the bank of the Fontanka River and was the palace of Count Sheremetev, one of the richest people in Russia of his time.
The Shuvalov Palace belonged to Count Shuvalov, the favourite of Elizabeth I, (daughter of
Peter I), an outstanding political and cultural figure who founded the Academy of Fine Arts.
The Yussupov Palace was the home of the beautiful Duchess Zinaida Yussupova, Pushkin's "Queen of Spades". The name of her grandson, Felix Yussupov, has gone down in history as the murderer of Rasputin.
The Marble Palace was the gift of Cathrine II to her favourite Count Orlov, later the residence of the Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov.
The Elagin Palace - the former summer residence of Paul I's widow.
The Palace of the Grand Duke Vladimir Romanov belonged to the uncle of the last Russian tsar, Nicolas II.

The unique interiors of all these palaces are open to visitors. There are guided tours around the palaces and their rooms are also available for balls, receptions, banquets, gala-dinners and concerts in the palace theatres.